COVID-iots of Melbourne’s north Reservoir, Whittlesea

When a driver was spotted breaking curfew in Thomastown, he allegedly led police on a wild chase doing speeds of up to 150km/h with his car’s headlights off before hiding in a garden shed. And he’s not the only COVID-iot in Melbourne’s north.

Luke Bingham (left) is just one of many people who have ended up in court for alleged crimes after curfew.

It’s been a bit harder for alleged crims to fly under the radar during Melbourne’s strict COVID-19 lockdown, with police patrolling the streets, questioning anyone and everyone’s movements.

A fair few have brought themselves — and their alleged crimes — to the attention of police simply by breaching the state’s coronavirus restrictions.

And several have made the mistake more than once.

We’ve put together a list of the COVID-iots who’ve fallen into the trap in Melbourne’s north.

TEEN WITH GUN

Police allegedly found a 16-year-old armed with a gun when they were stopping cars in the northern suburbs to check why people were out of home at 1.50am.

Police allegedly found the gun on the teen while doing COVID-19 checks.

The teenager was also allegedly wanted by police, and carrying a knife.

Police discovered he was wanted and on bail for alleged serious crimes, including unlawful assault and aggravated burglary, when they did their routine check of the identities and addresses of the car’s occupants.

ALLEGED DRUG DEALER

Rhyce Scaramella was allegedly found to be dealing drugs and carrying weapons after police noticed someone trying to visit him at 1.50am, then caught him breaching curfew himself.

And what’s more, he was found to have symptoms of COVID-19.

Police were allegedly talking to a man waiting outside Scaramella’s Heidelberg West home when Scaramella went to return home, riding his dirt bike past when he saw officers.

Officers followed him and allegedly saw him ditch a bumbag, which contained 8.3g of methamphetamine, 37.3g of cannabis, GHB in a Dettol hand sanitiser bottle, valium and LSD tablets, knuckle dusters, $485 and his phone.

He was allegedly also caught carrying a knife.

The incident came after he allegedly deliberately coughed on police while claiming to have symptoms of the virus when he was arrested in April.

ALLEGED ATTACKER AND GROG THIEF

Corey Hore allegedly brought the fact that he was wanted over alleged thefts, as well as the cannabis in his pocket, to police’s attention when he breached restrictions by going to drink with a friend.

When police asked where he was going on Highview St, Preston, he allegedly told them he was going to a friend’s house to have a drink before giving them his brother’s name.

It wasn’t long before they realised who he really was, and that he was accused of repeatedly stealing alcohol from nearby bottle shops and was on bail for charges including allegedly assaulting an emergency service worker.

His antics led to him finding himself before a court applying for his freedom.

DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR ALLEGED ‘HAND SAN’ DEALER

Alleged drug dealer Kevin Williams brought his suspicious dealings to police’s attention twice in two weeks by breaching lockdown directions, landing himself two sets of drug trafficking charges.

He also gave some interesting COVID-19 inspired excuses when he came to police’s attention after running a red light in Reservoir about 3.20am.

Police allegedly then found him parked in a residential street with drugs and two men in his car, with one of them claiming they were out “to take the dog for a walk”.

Williams allegedly then told police the alleged 156mil of GHB found was hand sanitiser, with 2g of methamphetamine, a notebook containing drug quantities and dollar values and many zip lock bags and $905 also located.

Less than a fortnight earlier he was allegedly caught in a carpark at Elizabeth St, Richmond, about 1am with another man, three bags of methamphetamine, five caps of methamphetamine, a bottle of GHB and $1317 cash.

ALLEGED DRUG DEALER NO. 2

Ali Maroush was caught out after curfew.

Ali Maroush was arrested four times in six weeks, bringing police’s attention to his alleged criminality on at least two of the occasions.

The Thomastown tradie was caught visiting a Heidelberg West drug hotspot when police followed him after seeing him driving around after curfew.

He was then allegedly found to be carrying 3.7 grams of methamphetamine, five prescription tablets and a set of scales.

Just weeks earlier police had allegedly found him in possession of cannabis when police grew suspicious after seeing him and two other men out in a parked car at BP Wollert just before midnight.

ALLEGED IDENTITY THIEF

David Henderson was found to allegedly have a heap of drugs and stolen goods, including more than 50 people’s mail, and a dossier of victims’ personal details, after being seen driving in Reservoir about 4.40am.

There was allegedly more than 23 grams of methamphetamine in his car, with a stash in the roof found by a drug dog, and he had no reason to be out during Melbourne’s lockdown.

He was not only allegedly breaching restrictions, but a condition of his bail banning him from driving, and was unlicensed and using stolen number plates.

he discovery prompted police to search the 32-year-old’s Watsonia North home, where they allegedly found six laptops, suspected to have been stolen, and a laptop bag containing about 200 stolen documents.

TOILET PAPER TRAVELLER

Daniel Walter was found to allegedly be carrying a knife, syringe, GHB and two car keys, believed to be proceeds of crime, when he was caught riding his bicycle in Reservoir in the early hours of the morning.

The father tried to give police the excuse

he was out because he was going to his aunt’s to get toilet paper — but they didn’t buy it.

And it wasn’t long before he was back before Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court again, also allegedly out and about for an unessential purpose.

Walter’s neighbour allegedly caught Walters spray painting his mountain bike, which had just been stolen from his backyard, in their Reservoir street after dark one night.

ALLEGED BRAINLESS BURGLAR

Jake Derrick was wanted by police when he was found driving at night.

James Derrick, who was wanted by police for an alleged burglary, brought himself to police’s attention when he drove an allegedly stolen ute in Reservoir after midnight, despite living in Wonthaggi.

He then allegedly used chairs to smash a door at Heidelberg police station, breaking two chairs and causing extensive damage to the door.

ALLEGED ROGUE DRIVER

Luke Bingham ended up being chased by police for about 1.5 hours, allegedly doing speeds of up to 150km/h, after he was seen breaching curfew in a car in Thomastown about 2.30am.

The 34-year-old was then found hiding under a sheet in someone’s garden shed — more than 35km from where police first tried to arrest him.

Luke Bingham was caught out after curfew.

He allegedly sped through Diamond Creek, Warrandyte, Ringwood, along the Eastern Freeway and the Monash Freeway — with his headlights off, through the Domain Tunnel then through

Glen Waverley, Wheelers Hill, Burwood, Bayswater, Knox and Scoresby and Vermont South.

He allegedly didn’t have a licence and was on bail for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs and a taser into a prison.

ALLEGED CONSPICUOUS CROOK

A man who was allegedly repeatedly found out stealing and ignoring the restrictions led to a magistrate suggesting breachers face criminal charges.

Michael Noak prompted Magistrate Tregent to suggest people who “selfishly” ignored the COVID-19 restrictions be charged with reckless conduct endangering serious injury when she denied him bail.

The 25-year-old allegedly ran out of his house and through Eltham, stealing a bike, when police went to him for another alleged bike theft.

He’d already been hit with fines for visiting friends and for leaving the house without a valid reason.

MORE: OFF-DUTY COP PUNCHED, SPAT ON, CAUSING COVID-19 FEAR

HOW COVID-19 HELPED AN ALLEGEDLY VIOLENT MAN GET BAIL

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